Out beyond the new frontier.
Playing God without mercy, without fear.
Create a beast.  Made a man without a soul.
Is it worth the risk?  A war of God and man-

"New Frontier"- Iron Maiden

Killing the Dragon

     A most interesting party we were.  Two vampire hunters, a former pirate, and a half vampire, who was the son of the vampire we were trying to slay.  Trevor Belmont was our recognized leader.  Trevor informed me that his father, Leon Belmont, was an officer in Father's military.  He told me that after Father's wife's committed suicide in 1462 that Leon attempted to persuade Father not to take the path he was starting to follow.  Father, however, had no use for what Leon Belmont was telling him, and ordered his withdraw from the Castle.  Leon left Father's presence and settled far away from him, but upon leaving the Castle informed Father that if he was to truly rise from his death and harm the innocent he, or his descendents, would stop him.  I am actually amazed that Father did not try to have him assassinated after that statement given his attitude at the time.  He had no shame in killing anyone who threatened his existence.

     Leon Belmont was the first Belmont to use the whip in battle, and at a young age, Trevor had been taught the proper technique for how to use it.  This, ironically, is a tradition that all Belmont children have inherited ever since.  Trevor's descendent, Richter, informed me the other day that he plans to instruct his son Christian (who we sometimes playfully call 'Riff,' although he hates the childhood nickname) with the family's history of fighting the undead.  But despite all of Trevor's training I still did not understand how a whip could be effective against the undead.

     "The whip is blessed," Trevor told me.  Before he left Warakiya village he sought the aid of books on vampirism from the local monastery.  While he was studying the ancient legends he had his whip blessed by the abbot, and ever since that day the Belmont family whip has passed down from generation to generation.  Trevor was blessed with most of the abilities that would eventually pass to his descendent, Richter (and eventually to Christian I assume), but in terms of ability, Richter exceeds his ancestor.

     Sypha Belendes was an interesting character to me for two reasons. The first was the fact that she was a woman.  The typical role of women for that time (and is still the traditional role for them today) is to remain at home, take care of the children, and cook for the husband.  I understood women to have this role in society until I met her.  She may have indirectly been responsible for the relationship Maria and I have together, because Maria does more than take care of the children.  She can be a very formidable opponent in battle when challenged.

     Sypha was also blessed with a gift.  Through her prayers to God, He bestowed on her the gift of what we would essentially call 'magic.'  Yet it is through this gift of hers that I could not help but be reminded of my mother.  The Church did not persecute Sypha because of her unique ability that she claimed was given to her by God, yet my mother uses herbs to help people and she is considered a witch.  Sypha could have honestly been viewed more as a witch than my mother, but I suppose that because since declared that her power was a gift from God she was somehow exempt from persecution.

     Despite his small bulky legs, Grant DyNasty was the quickest of all of us.  His stealth made him especially deadly with his daggers.  Grant had the ability to sneak behind an enemy and cut their throat, but this was not his only ability.  Grant also had the ability to climb walls, or so it looked.  I am still not exactly sure how he was able to do this, but Grant could cling to a wall and scale it similar to how a rock climber climbs a mountain.  I asked him how he was able do such a thing and he told me it was based on how he cupped his hands.  He said that he would cup his hand to trap air and that it would allow him to remain attached to the wall for a few seconds, but this was a skill that left him extremely tired, because of the amount of energy he spent doing it.

     As for me, I was without my sword.  When I left my father in Castle Dracula I had left behind my mother's sword that she had given me shortly before her death.  Mother's sword had been in her family for generations, and her father had given it to her before she met my father, because she was their only child.  Mother possessed the sword when she met Father, although I am not exactly sure how she was able to carry such a thing.  The sword can be quite heavy, and Mother never struck me as a person who was strong enough to wield it; but nevertheless, it was in her possession when she met my father.

     For most of our journey I was armed with a small sword that I received from a fallen adversary.  The sword was worn down, and in need of repair.  I am actually surprised that it did not shatter against the full-plated armor worn by the demonic knights in the Castle, but it was certainly soaked in the blood of monsters by the time we reached my chambers.

     I had always hid Mother's sword in a small chest inside my bedroom closet, but I was afraid that while I was away for a year that Father found the sword and was now using it for his own purpose.  Fortunately he did not, and I had to ask Sypha to burn the lock free from the chest since I had no idea what had become of the key to the lock.  With my sword back in my possession I could confidently battle my father, despite how hard I knew it was going to be. 

     For our journey to and through the Castle, Father had summoned various minions to aid his cause.  These minions varied from the very weak to the very powerful, from the very intelligent to the very stupid.  The stupid minions were the easiest to fool.  Because of my presence some of them took my companions and me as allies, and allowed us safe passage.  The more intelligent minions, however, could tell that I was aiding the 'enemy', and they were more than ready to strike us down.  None of my father's minions should ever be taken lightly, but there was one I was definitely concerned about.

     While not exactly a minion, Death was an ally of my father's.  After living the last five years of my life in the human world, I have noticed that every person appears to have a different understanding of the Grim Reaper.  Some view him (although 'he' does not actually have a gender) as the Angel of Death—St. Michael—from the Bible.  Trust me, Death is not St. Michael.  St. Michael the Archangel would never work with my father, and my father would never work with him.

     Others view Death as a being that takes souls to Heaven or Hell.  Hell, perhaps; but Heaven?  No!  This view of Death results in a philosophical conflict from the real Death.

     And finally, others view Death as a neutral being, who works neither for good nor for ill.  Death is far from a neutral being, trust me.

     So what is Death then?  Death is an evil being with a black heart that has no shame giving his name (death) to those who challenge him; and he is usually my father's guardian.

     Death's chamber is a circular room, and is filled with very little light.  Death enjoys catching his victim by surprise, which is why he is often levitating on the ceiling in the darkest corner of the room when someone enters his chamber to challenge him.  I told my companions to look at the ceiling, because that was a favorite hiding spot of Death. 

     Through my gift (or curse) of vampirism I was able to locate Death quicker than any of my companions.  I shouted at the monster to come down and "face us!"

     He chuckled at me and declared, "You know me all too well Alucard."  When Death descended from the ceiling I remember Grant muttering the words "saints preserve us" while Sypha gave the Sign of the Cross.

     Death gave another bony chuckle before responding,  "I see that you have befriended mortals, Alucard.  Your mother's weaker side has become your predominate emotion."

     "My father was the same way until monsters like you and your master warped his mind!" I shouted.

     "Your father was always this way, Alucard.  It's just that your mother found a way to lessen his emotions, but deep down inside he was always willing to continue his war with God."

     "That's a lie and you know it!"

     "Is it indeed?" Death chuckled.  "Apparently you don't know your father very well."

    "I knew him before he morphed into the monster he has become."

     "And I've known him since before you were born!" Death shouted, as his bony fingers tightly griped his scythe.

     I followed Death's gesture by unsheathing my mother's sword and shouting, "I'll send you back to Hell!"  Trevor added to my statement by cracking his whip.

     Death flashed a grin.  "Oh, but you can't want me to go back there yet.  I still have so much to do here."

     "Your mission ends here now Death!"

     "We shall see won't we Alucard?" glared Death.

     Death charged first at me with his scythe, but I was quick to dodge and present him with a sharp slash of my blade to his rib cage.  The monster snarled, but was quick to recover as he slashed his blade against my torso.  Fortunately I was wearing some protective armor, and my ability as a partial vampire at that time allowed me to heal rather quickly.

     Grant attacked Death by hurling his dagger while clinging to the wall.  Unfortunately, Grant never had a proper grip on the wall, which may have been due to sweat on his palms.  The attack was a failure.  Death was able to parry-and-dodge the dagger away by using his scythe, and in the process was able to put a good slice on Trevor's arm.  (Richter told me a few years ago when I told him about this incident that there was a family legend that Trevor had a scare on his arm, possibly from this incident).  

     Sypha kept her distance from the rest of the party with her hands cupped together in prayer.  Although I was in the heat of the battle, and sweat was descending from my forehead, I was able to catch some of Sypha's prayer.  She was asking God to use her as an instrument of His power against Death.  God answered Sypha's prayer with a flame.  Death screeched as though he was a poor soul burning in Hell.  Sypha's attack was the most powerful against Death, but it would be Trevor who delivered the fatal blow.

     With his arm severely cut, and sweat dripping into his eyes (probably making his vision blurry), Trevor found the endurance to make one more attack.  Trevor cracked his whip, and scored a perfect shot into the monster's bony throat.  I could tell by his body language that Trevor was using all the power he had on this attack, and he succeeded.  The monster fell back, losing his scythe in the process; but Trevor was quick to follow up on that attack, as were Grant and I.

     Trevor raised a dagger that had the image of the crucified Christ on it, and stabbed the object into the monster's throat.  I followed Trevor's move by jamming my sword next to Trevor's crucifix dagger, and Grant added to our success by doing the same with his dagger.  Eventually the beast crumbled into a sulfurous ash, but the toughest challenge was still to come.  Trevor tied a bandage around his arm as he was well aware that our next battle would be against the Lord of the Castle.  Prince Vlad Tepes himself!  My own father!

     Castle Dracula has been known to change shape every time it has been reborn, but one portion of it always remains the same.  The master throne room, Father's chamber, always remains unchanged.  Father's throne room is located at the very top of the Castle—the sixth floor.  Along the walls are images of our family's insignia, the dragon, and a portrait of my father from his breathing days.

     In the center of the master's throne room sits my father on his throne with a large red dragon spreading its wings behind the throne.  I remember that on this night a cool breeze blew through the throne room, and Father's cold-dark hair blew with it.  His dark eyes glared at all of us, but his eyes seemed to pay more attention to me than any other member of the party.

     "So Alucard," he says, "I see that you have brought these men here to kill me."

     "I would've been here to kill you regardless of him!" shouted Grant.  "My wife and unborn child never had the opportunity to experience the fullness of life because of you!"

     "Your pregnant wife was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  I'm sorry about what happened to her, but life isn't always fair."

     If smoke could come out of a person's ears it would have been coming out of Grant's after that statement.  "You bloody bastard!  I swear to God above that I'll ram my dagger right through your heart!"

     "It's never wise to swear to Heaven my dear friend.  Besides, God doesn't always answer the requests of His children."  Grant's fists were shaking with every word uttered by my father, but Father appeared no longer interested in Grant and turned his attention to Sphya.

     "Ah, you were the slayer who spent some time as a statue.  I see that you have apparently broken free, but I'm wondering if you deserve death or a return to that state?"

     "The only state I deserve is to watch you burn in the fires of Hell!" shouted Sphya.  "And with God's help I swear that I will send you there!"

     Father chuckled.  "Once again another person calling on the help of God.  I can promise you my dear lady, you'll find no God here."

     Finally, Father turned to Trevor.  "And who might you be?"

     "I'm Trevor Belmont," he declared full of courage; "the son of Leon Belmont.  Does that name sound familiar to you?"

     Father gasped at the name 'Leon Belmont.'  "So Leon's promise to me long ago has taken form.  Tell me, how's Leon?"

     "Waiting at home for me to tell him that I drove that stake through your heart."

     "Well, my dear Belmont, I'm afraid the only person who's going to see Leon next is me!  I'm afraid that I shall be the one to tell him that his son is no more, and then I'll do to him what I should've done thirty-three years ago."

     At Father's statement, Trevor cracked his whip.  "Ah, Leon's whip.  It's been years since I've seen it.  Seeing it makes me think of Leon.  I suppose that you're going to use it against me.  Too bad that it can't…"

     Father did not have the chance to finish his sentence as Trevor cracked the whip into his arm.  He snarled and shook his arm free of the pain before looking at Trevor baffled.  "But…how?  A whip has no power over me!?"

     "This whip was blessed by a priest in the Church of Jesus," informed Trevor.  "A Church which you've sought to destroy for the last thirty-three years, but now through the power of that same God you'll be brought to your knees."

     "I kneeled once to God.  I'll never kneel to Him again!" snarled Father, before raising his arm to cast a powerful flame from the floor against us.  I was amazed by Father's power!  I knew that he was powerful, but I had no idea until I actually saw it with my own eyes!  All of us safely escaped the flames, but we were caught off guard by the attack.

     We fell back, and Father continued to use the same attack against us.  The heat of the flames brought sweat to our brows and prevented us from receiving a clear attack.  "Everyone," whispered Grant, "I believe that I may have an idea."

     "What is it?" asked Trevor, who was doing his best (along with all of us) to dodge the attack.

     "Can you keep Dracula occupied for a while?"

     Trevor rolled out of the way of another blast of fire before saying, "I don't think that'll be much of a problem."

     I had an idea of what Grant was going to do, but I feared that he might not be able to pull it off.  My assumption turned out to be correct.  Grant was going to attempt to cut Father's throat while we kept him busy, but tragically so was my other prediction.  Father's flames were simply too much, and when Grant attempted to use his stealth a blast of fire caught him.  The fire did not completely catch him, other wise he would have suffered an instant death, but it did catch him enough to knock him back.  Grant landed hard on his back, and I could tell that the fall had knocked him unconscious.  At the sight of my fallen comrade I knew that I had to do something.  Fortunately, like Grant, I was rather quick on my feet as well; and I hastily grabbed him and pulled him away from the flames before another blast would have caught him, and obviously killed him.  Because Sypha was blessed with the gift of 'magic' I asked her to look after Grant.  I was hoping that perhaps through her prayers God could use her as an instrument to heal him.

     "Well, I guess that it's just you and me Alucard," replied Trevor, as he dodged another blast of fire.

     "Yes, I guess so," I added, while dodging a blast along side him.

     "Alucard!" shouted my father, as he magnificently stood by his throne using the same attack against us.  "Why do you continue to help these humans?  Surely you realize that I'm too powerful for any of you?  Are you doing this because of your mother?"

     The moment my father mentioned my mother my face became like one set on thunder.  I noticed that Trevor kept a bottle of holy water at his belt.  Hastily I snatched the bottle of holy water from Trevor's belt and threw it at my father.  The bottle shattered, and some of its contents sprinkled on my father.  He fell back, and the flames ceased.  I glared at him and said, "You're damn right I'm doing this because of my mother!  My mother would never approve of anything you're doing!  You're not the man she once loved!"

     "You fool!" Father shouted.  "Have you forgotten that humans are responsible for the death of your mother?  And yet you're allying yourself with them?!"

     I gestured my hand to my friends who were around me.  "You know damn well that these humans aren't responsible for Mother's death!"

     "It doesn't matter!  They're all alike!  They would've burned her at that stake just like those from the village below us!"

     "I don't know that and neither do you!  But I do know one thing.  Mother taught me after the incident with her parents long ago that I shouldn't hate people, because sometimes they can't help being who they are and that not all people are bad.  Trevor, Grant, and Sypha are not bad people.  They've helped me, and I've helped them!  And I would follow them into the depths of Hell if necessary!"

     By now Father was back to a vertical base after feeling the affects of the holy water.  "You're an absolute moron!" he shouted.  "You're no longer even worthy to be called my son!"

     "That's fine!  I'll be just as happy being known as the son of Lisa Tepes!  But as for you Father, you've tortured the countryside of Wallachia for too long!  Today you die Father!"

     "Heh, you go ahead and try…" but I would not allow him to finish his sentence.  Wielding my sword I struck him with a powerful blow into his side, which was immediately followed by the crack of Trevor's whip.

     Father again fell back, and retreated behind his throne.  "Are you going to hide behind your throne Father, or are you going to face me?"  Father snarled from behind his throne, and while he was there I could hear him unsheathe his sword.  He leapt from behind the throne with a war cry and attempted to thrust his sword into my body.  I parried his attack, but again I felt my father's strength and it was incredible!  If my palms had been too sweaty I would have easily lost my grip on the sword.  But I did not lose my grip, and because my father was now spending his time concentrating on killing me he forgot that I had three other vampire hunters around me.  Sypha's prayer to God had been answered, and Grant was back on his feet again.  Trevor was already poised and waiting for the proper moment to strike.  Eventually that moment came in the form of a four-way attack.

     Father's eyes were locked too tightly on mine that he never noticed Trevor raising a crucifix and stamping it against his forehead.  Father screeched and dropped his sword, and when that happened he suffered a blow from my sword on his shoulder.  I could tell that Father was about to snarl from the affects of my sword, but he never found the time because immediately Grant snuck up behind him and cut his throat.  Blood poured from my father's throat, and although I hated him at this moment (especially after he declared I was no longer worthy to be called his son) I began to feel some pity for him as I watched him grab his throat and stagger around the throne room, while the dark blood poured from his neck.  I became so caught up in my father's suffering that I did not notice the ball of fire that was exiting Sypha's hands.  I am sure that the blast would have caught me as well, had it not been for Trevor lunging at me and forcing me out of the way.

     The blast struck my father at full force.  He fell to the floor, with his back arched up against his throne.  He sat there motionless until Grant plunged his dagger into his heart and he let out a slight groan before shutting his eyes for good.

     Almost immediately after Grant's dagger pierced Father's heart the Castle started to make a rumbling sound similar to an earthquake.  "What's going on here?" I asked.

     "The Castle's falling apart," replied Trevor.  "Apparently Prince Vlad's existence has been tied in with the Castle.  With its master dead the Castle can no longer stand.  We must flee quickly!"

     Trevor never had to say it twice.  We hastily regained our composure, and charged from the throne room to eventually the exit of the Castle; but before I ran down those stairs I took a moment to look back at my father.  He remained in the same position with Grant's blade still pierced in his heart.  The roof of the throne room began to fall around his body.  He may have become a monster but he was still my father, and I could not help but shed a tear.

     We swiftly exited the Castle.  Fortunately for us, once Father was dead his monsters died with him, so we never had to fight any more battles.  We watched the last of the Castle fall from a hilltop that overlooked it.  Tears were gently streaming down my face.  At first only Sypha understood why, but Grant and Trevor soon understood as well. 

     While the Castle had morphed into a place of evil it had not always been that way.  That Castle was my childhood home.  All my childhood memories, such as 'slaying' the dragon and playing with my mother, took place inside its walls.  I could not help but cry just a little, but in 1495 when you are seventeen you are supposed to be a man, so I did my best to cease crying.

     "So…is it over?" asked Grant.

     "Yes," I replied in a husky voice, while wiping a final tear from my eye; "it's over."

     "Wallachia's now forever free from the reign of Vlad the Impaler," replied Syhpa.

     "Don't you think we ought to pray?" asked Trevor.  I chose not to pray, but I did observe the three of them in prayer.  They thanked God for His grace against Dracula, and they also thanked St. Michael the Archangel for his prayers in Heaven on their behalf.

     After they closed with the Sign of the Cross Syhpa said, "I wonder what we're all going to do now?  We've been with each other for quite a while now, and now that our mission's over it will seem rather queer to return to normal life."

     "Well," Grant began, "I know that various parts of the countryside were damaged by Dracula.  I believe that I can spend my time helping those people rebuild their lives." 

     (I asked Richter a few years ago if he ever knew what became of Grant DyNasty.  He told me that Grant eventually became the mayor of a small community.  He married and had children, and for a long time both him and his descendents remained in contact with the Belmont family.  But one year a terrible famine fell into the area that the DyNasty family resided in.  Apparently most of Grant's descendents decided to leave their motherland and seek a better life in Western Europe, possibly France according to Richter.  Still the two families tried to remain close, but eventually communication between them stopped.  Richter said that he does not know where any of Grant's descendents currently live, but he would love to meet them if they are still out there.)

     "What about you Trevor?" asked Syhpa.

     "I'm going to return home to my village.  I want to start my life there."

     (Even to this day I can still remember the look that Syhpa gave to Trevor.  It was a look of affection.  I asked Richter if anything ever became of Syhpa and Trevor.  He told me that according to family history the two did share a slight romance, but nothing ever came from it, although they did remain friends.  Eventually Trevor married, or obviously Richter would not be here, and Syhpa did as well.  The descendents of both families are still in contact with one another.  I had the opportunity to meet Syhpa's descendent, Sara.  She reminds me of Syhpa a little bit, but I never told her that I knew her ancestor personally, because I only want a few people to know about my past.)

     Finally Trevor turned to me and asked, "What do you plan on doing Alucard?"

     I did not answer him at first.  I again turned to the remains of Castle Dracula.  A feeling of guilt began to enter my soul.  I had killed my father.  Yes, perhaps he had deserved death.  Yes, he declared that I was no longer worthy to be called his son, but he was still my father after all.  Then I began to think about Flame.  Could I ever find another woman whom I could love?  When I finally returned my attention to Trevor I said, "I don't belong in this world."

     He was stunned by my words.  "What do you mean?"

     "Trevor, my blood's cursed.  It would be better for this world if I was to leave it forever."

     "What're saying?" asked Grant.  "Are you saying that you're going to commit suicide?!"

     I shook my head.  "No, I'm going to return to the state I was in when you first met me."

     "You mean you're going to sleep again in a coffin?" asked Syhpa.

     "Yes," I replied nodding my head.  "That's exactly what I mean."

     "Well, Alucard, perhaps through the Church you could overcome the stain of vampirism that affects you."

     I sighed, and shook my head back to her.  "No, Syhpa, there's no cure for me.  It would be better off if I ceased to exist."  I looked at all of my companions.  They were all stunned by the decision I had made, but I believed at the time it was the best decision to make.  "I enjoyed our company very much, and I know that all of you will have a pleasant life.  But as for me I must leave my Wallachia behind me.  Farethewell, we'll not meet again."

     As I was walking away I heard Trevor's voice calling out my name.  I stopped to turn back to my party.  I presented all of them with a respectful bow, before turning to walk away for the final time.  I would never see any of them again, except in portraits, which even today can make me shed a tear.

     I returned to the same crypt that I was in when Trevor, Grant, and Sypha found me, only this time I decided to move the casket I previously slept in to a different area of the crypt.  The sun was bright over the Carpathians when I finally closed the lid for what I thought would be the final time, but the world is mysterious.  Eventually the lid of my casket would reopen, although it would take 302 years for it to do so.